The Dakota volleyball hitter was a unanimous all-conference play and all-state selection in her best sport. She also was an honors student and an all-state soprano.

The graduated senior will pursue a dual major in romance languages and international business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, with the intent to enter governmental foreign service.

She’ll also continue her volleyball career and will play for the Division 1 Ivy League Quakers this fall.

“It seems kind of crazy and out there,” she said. “But my main passion academically is languages. I love Spanish and took three years of it so I could take the AP course online and it’s something I’d love to have as my career, along with taking Italian and French.

“I see myself being a translator or a representative abroad, and I feel like being proficient in a few languages will pave the way for a pretty good career, along with international business.”

Thompson earned a full-ride academic scholarship.

“She’s one of those kids that always talks about wanting to learn a bunch of languages and see what she can do with it,” Dakota volleyball coach Shannon Williams said. “She also wanted to go into business and travel and utilize the languages. She had a 3.9 GPA. It doesn’t surprise me that she’d want to do something like that and she wants to pursue everything.”

One thing Thompson feared with a dual college major was balancing academics with athletics. That led to a lengthy decision to make about the college she chose, with her volleyball career hanging in the balance.

“We talked about this for the longest time,” Williams said. “We wanted her to play at the highest level she possibly could. At one point, she was just going to focus on academics and I wasn’t 100 percent sure that she was going to.”

“I talked to the coach and they had their recruits already picked, so I’m going to try and walk on,” Thompson said. “I’m still up in the air, somewhat, just because the academics are going to be stressful.

“But I can’t picture myself not playing volleyball. I just hope to keep up with the academic side.”

Thompson helped Dakota win state in Class 1A volleyball in 2011, then finish second in Class 2A in 2012. The Indians won 37 straight matches last season, then lost to eventual 2A champ Immaculate Conception.

Page 2 of 2 - Thompson said all other colleges she was interested in didn’t seem like the best fit, but the University of Pennsylvania felt like home. Even if she is nearly 900 miles away from her hometown, Lake Summerset.

“I went out to a Quaker Days and got the feel around campus and I just loved everything about it. The academics and all the other opportunities just felt right.

“I’ve always had the dream of going away for college. I’ve been to New York City and Chicago and even though it sounds crazy to be from a small town and feel home in a big city, but it seems like an adventure that I’m ready for.”

Williams thinks Thompson will be up for task in the classroom and on the court.